Soft-shell crab farming a rare economic bright spot in Arakan State

By Admin 12 Sep 2023

DMG Newsroom
12 September 2023, Sittwe
 
The soft-shell crab business is thriving in Arakan State’s Sittwe, Ponnagyun, Kyaukphyu and Gwa townships, creating job opportunities for local people.
 
KY88 Company, operating near Kuntaung village in Ponnagyun Township, is doing a brisk trade in soft-shell crab and provides employment for about 100 locals.
 
“I don’t have to work tirelessly and feel comfortable. Even if my salary is not as good as abroad, I can support my family because it is convenient here,” said Ma Aye Nu, a female worker at KY88 Co.
 
KY88 Co. buys local hard-shell crabs and cultivates them into soft-shell crabs. An official of KY88 Co. said the company currently breeds up to 160,000 crabs.
 
For export, soft-shell crab is stored in cold storage prior to export to foreign countries via Yangon.
 
Local businesses are doing well due to the soft-shell crab breeding business, so local people are also getting employment opportunities locally.
 
“With these businesses, we don’t have to go abroad to work, which is convenient for us to some extent. As these businesses grow, there are many opportunities for young people,” said U Nyein Than Maung, a worker from KY88 Co.
 
Due to the scarcity of job opportunities in Arakan State, many local people in their 20s and 30s have left the state to work overseas, resulting in so-called brain drain. People have called on authorities to establish factories and workshops in Arakan State so that local people can work closer to home.